


The Beginning

by SoraMoto



Series: Podcast Scripts [6]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Twists on classic works with a steampunk flavor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 13:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16064297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoraMoto/pseuds/SoraMoto
Summary: Teaser for a novel I am working on. This tells the story of how everything began and the history of the villain of my novel.Set in Victorian England.Peter and his makeshift family hide from the scientists that gave them these powers, While Red and Hatter go to rescue the others.





	The Beginning

A young boy is crouched on a windowsill of an old burned out theatre, the filigree chipped and stained with soot. He was watching the people on the street below that walked past him. Tilting his head curiously he spots a family, a young girl with her parents, and two younger brothers. 

No one takes notice of the boy as he watches the family turn the corner. he makes to move and follow after them, stepping off from his perch and falling a few inches before he catches himself and floats around the building. Despite the unlikelihood that anyone would look up and spot him he stays to the shadows. Clinging to the brick of the theatre he spies the family as they continue on down the street. He is sorely tempted to go after them as they continue down the street, but he remembers what he had been told, to not leave the building. Since he was still in contact with the brick walls he didn’t consider it leaving, even if he was outside. 

The theatre that he was clinging so closely to was where the boy and his mismatched family called home. It had once been a gem of a building in the formerly fine neighborhood in which it was originally built. however a few years back a fire had blazed through and destroyed much of the building and its neighbors. No one had cared yet to rebuild or tear down the buildings which left them to homeless waifs and squatters. This was how his family was able to stay here.

“Peter?”

The boy turns back to one of the windows nearby and sees a woman with a heart shaped mask covering her face framed by black hair tied up in ringlets and curls that fitted tightly against the mask. She wore a red and black dress that had once been a costume from the theatre. The woman was thin and the dress had been taken in to fit her lean frame. She also wore gloves that hid her hands.

“Peter, you shouldn’t be out here. Come inside.”

“Yes Red.”

That was the woman’s name, named for the red Queen of Hearts from a story that had recently been published. Peter didn’t know her real name and since she was scared from what had brought them here, he didn’t think anyone would know who she was before being Red.

“Where’s Tink?”

“Your sister is inside with Phantom and Hatter eating her dinner as you should be.”

Peter hops onto the sill as Red steps back, making room for him to come in. “Tink can have mine, she needs to eat more than me.”

“You’re both still growing, you both need to eat.” Red shakes her head, if Peter had to have a mother he was glad this woman was the one that was filling that role, even if she wasn’t his real mother. No, his real mother was still back there, she hadn’t been able to get out with them. She had begged for Red and Hatter to take Tink and himself though, to get them out before they were hurt. Peter gave a shudder at the memory of the needles and the doctors as they strapped him down. For Peter it had only been the one time, but he knew for Red and Hatter it must have happened a lot more. Even Phantom had been subjected to the tests quite a few times, though he was still better off than the two eldest of their family. After all he was only sixteen.

Peter floats along behind Red as she leads him deep into the theatre. Eventually they come out into a room below the stage where a table has been set up with a makeshift kitchen. Around the table sits Hatter, a tall lanky man with a wide grin and crazy look in his eyes; Phantom, whose scarred face was covered with a white mask; and Tink, a small girl with blonde hair that would flicker and glow instead of talking. Peter quickly runs over to sit next to Tink, who is kneeling on her chair and grabbing at the food on the plate in front of her with her hands. No one bothers to scold her and Peter assumes a similar pose and begins to eat, shoveling what food is on his plate into his mouth. 

The food consisted of two pies that Red had most likely bought while out that morning and warmed in the single pot they had salvaged from a collapsed building not far from the theatre. The pies were not large, barely large enough to fill Hatter’s palm, But Red made sure that as the youngest Tink and Peter each got a half while she and hater split the other one with Phantom. Today Red seemed to have gotten her hands on a few carrots that had been put on Peter, Tink’s and Phantom’s plates. Peter and Tink both ignored the carrot until it was the only thing left on their plates, at which point they both poked them with their fingers before grinning and grabbing them up. They quickly became swords as the two batted at one another with them, dragging Phantom in to join their game eventually. When Phantom’s carrot snapped in half they ended their game and sat down to eat their carrots, grinning the whole while.

After the carrots had been eaten Red Shuffled Peter and Tink off to their beds, which were located above the stage in little hanging nests snuggled in amongst the rigging for the old curtain. Below them on the stage lay a long table filled with mismatched and cracked teacups and teapots as well as saucers, doilies, paper mache cakes and a few old dolls that Red had salvaged from the garbage in the rich neighborhoods. Peter gazes down at the set up as Red tucks Tink into her bed with a stuffed mouse toy that Hatter had made for her from an old costume they found in the theatre. That was were Tink would play with Hatter while Red was out working and making enough money for them to eat. Peter would join in sometimes but mostly he just lazily floated around the theatre and fought imaginary pirates and swam with mermaids that were plastered to the walls. Hatter called their theatre Wonderland, but Peter sometimes called it Neverland since he was always told he could never go outside. And how he wished he could go outside. 

From his trips out to watch the streets from the shadows of the roof he knew there was a park or something nearby, where other boys were allowed to play, he often saw them on their ways home with mothers or fathers holding their hands as they went on about their day. It was hard to not be able to go play with them but Peter knew it wasn’t safe out there beyond the walls of their home. Red was the only one of them that ever went out. She had gotten a job in a shop that sold clothing as a seamstress. It was a good job she always said and safer than working in a factory, even if she only worked in the back of the shop due to her appearance. The scars under her mask making her employer wanting her seen less by the customers.

Red had finished tucking Tink into her bed and had made her way over to the place Peter had made his bed to tuck him in.

“Goodnight Peter, sleep well.”

Peter lets out a yawn as Red tucks the blankets in around him and he snuggles deeper into their warmth.

“Goodnight Red.”

She stands over him for a moment before stepping back and making her way back down to the stage. When she gets down there Hatter and Phantom were waiting and the three were soon headed up into one of the private boxes that Phantom had claimed for himself as a workspace and bedroom. Following him inside they settle around the table he had brought in and used as a workbench, scattered on top of it were several tools and projects.

“Have we gotten any news on the others?”

“Phantom shakes his head and picks up one of the devices he had built. “Nothing new other than the fact my contact inside didn’t meet me this morning.”

“Do you think something happened to the little Rabbit?”

“As much as I hope not, it is most likely. Rabbit was good but we knew it was dangerous for him to go back and forth like he did, even if it was necessary.”

“So now what do we do?”

“We stick to the plan Hatter. Phantom will stay here with Peter and Tink and we will go see if we can rescue Rabbit and any others we can get out without notice.”

“It's going to be more dangerous, especially if they caught Rabbit.” Phantom reaches over and grabs a couple of things off the table, handing them to Red and Hatter. “I’ve made some changes to to your gear. Hatter, I added this circular blade,” He holds up a gauntlet he had handed Hatter, on it is a ten inch circular disk with jagged edges socketed into a half circular shell. “It spins when you squeeze this here.” He flips the gauntlet over and points to a pair of bars that run parallel along the palm. “When it builds up enough speed it can be thrown loose from the socket. Your abilities should make it easy enough to recover after you’ve thrown it. I didn’t really mess with your claws though, they seem to work rather well for you.”

“Of course. Thank you Phantom deary, you always make me the best toys.”

Phantom then turns to Red. “I made some changes to your gun.” He motions to the large pistol in Red’s hands. “It should be quieter now I made it pneumatic and added a battery to power the compressor.”

Red hefts the weapon in her hands a few times before nodding.

“I also made a few changes to your outfit. The tube that comes off the gun can be attached to the gas canister under your bustle to power the gun if you need an extra kick.”

Nodding again Red stands and hefts the gun up to her shoulder with one hand, the other resting on her cocked hip. “I suppose we should get to work.”

“Good luck.”

Red left to change out of her dress into an outfit she had made for herself from the costumes she used for all their clothing. Heading to the changing room she used to store her clothes in she thinks about what would happen to Peter and Tink if one of their trips to rescue the others ended with them not coming back. It was one of the reasons why she and Hatter had agreed that Phantom would always stay behind. If they did not return in the time given for the mission then Phantom was to pack their things and take Peter and Tink as far from here as they could get. She thinks about all of this while she pulls on her trousers and slips into the heeled boots, doing up the buttons on the side of each. Securing the new gun to her side she reaches for a shortened skirt with a large bustle, it clanks a bit as she secures it over her pants. She double checks the buckles on her corset and the gear she has strapped to it, mostly small things for picking locks and getting out of tight pinches. One of her favorites was a garrott that Phantom had hidden inside a pocket watch secured to the outside of the corset. Checking one last time that her gun was accessible she leaves the changing room and meets Hatter in the lobby.

“Are you ready my dear?”

“Yes, let’s do this Hatter.”

The man may be nuttier than a fruitcake from his time as one of the scientists guinea pigs but he was still a good man. Taking his outstretched hand the two head out into the darkened streets and make there way out toward the facility where all of this pain began.

**Author's Note:**

> This is only a little bit, if people seem to like it I may post up more. Please leave a review.


End file.
